Weekend Warrior: Soupstock, After Dark Film Festival, Zombie Walk, International Festival of Authors, National Women’s Show

By

-

2:44 pm

Soup For You!

Eating soup… for a cause? That’s the idea behind Soupstock (Oct. 21, Woodbine Park), an event that brings 200 chefs together to prepare their best soup recipes to protest Melancthon’s proposed mega-quarry. The daylong soup-fest features chefs such as Jamie Kennedy and Anthony Walsh offering up their fare ($10 for three servings), with all proceeds going towards building a community to stop the controversial mega-quarry. Guests are asked to bring their own bowls, spoons and napkins.

Things Get Freaky After Dark

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema will serve as host to chills, thrills and plenty of screams for nine consecutive nights beginning tonight, as the Toronto After Dark Fim Festival gets underway. Films scheduled for the fest range from the gory (such as British slasher flick Inbred) to the funny (Simon Pegg’s A Fantastic Fear of Everything) to the just plain ridiculous (Dead Sushi, a movie about murderous raw fish).

Night of the Living Dead

Makeup-wearing hordes walking in a transfixed state are set to take over downtown Toronto on Saturday. No, this isn’t a major sale taking place at the Eaton Centre — this is the 10th annual Toronto Zombie Walk (Oct. 20, begins and ends at Nathan Phillips Square). The 5km walk (more like a lurch) will begin at 3 p.m., but other festivities, including a costume competition and live musical performances, will start getting underway at noon. Organizers are expecting this year to mark the biggest event ever, surpassing last year’s 6,000-corpse attendance. The event is free, but is exclusive to the city’s undead.

Bookworms, Unite!

It’s tough to imagine a more dramatic change of pace than to switch from the Zombie Walk to the International Festival of Authors (Oct. 18-28, Harbourfront Centre). The festival, in its 33rd year, welcomes great literary minds from nearly 50 countries to Toronto to read from their recent works, take part in interviews, give lectures, participate in roundtable discussions and attend book signings. Notable auteurs taking part in this year’s event include Michael Chabon, Rohinton Mistry, Irvine Welsh and Junot Díaz.

A Girls’ Weekend

It’s ladies’ only at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this weekend, as The National Women's Show (Oct. 19-21) gets underway. The three-day event will host over 450 exhibitors showcasing current trends in beauty and fashion, offering travel deals, providing career advice and serving up some health and fitness tips. On top of that, there are plenty of goodies and prizes to be distributed, including gift bags with samples and promotions for those who arrive early.

Grab of the Week: a casual denim dress from Levi’s

By

-

10:38 am

0

It doesn’t matter what season it is, or whether it’s on trend or not: to us, denim is always in. So much so that we have a goal to own, at some point in our lifetime, every kind of staple wardrobe piece in denim. Jeans? Easy, obviously. Shirts and skirts aren’t so hard to find either. But a dress? That can be tougher to find when you’re looking for just the right one.

It’s fitting that we would find the perfect one from the king of denim, Levi’s. This is essentially a feminized version of the classic denim shirt — relaxed and easy, as a good denim piece should be. There may be no better way to wear it than with a good black hat and pair of brown boots.

Gracie dress, $88. Available online

Gracie Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

Morning Throwback: few things are more boring than old-school birdhouses, but here are some anyway

By

-

10:20 am

0

We know what would fix the Pigeon Lady problem: bird houses. Lots of ‘em.

Album Review: Gentleman Reg’s Leisure Life

By

-

4:42 pm

0

Fans of Toronto’s Reginald Vermue, a.k.a. Gentleman Reg, will know that the singer-songwriter can be a bit of a tease. So it comes as no surprise that his fifth long-play, Leisure Life, is being released digitally in three parts. One of them dropped this summer, another earlier this fall and the third is coming out in November. We previewed the new album, and the sometimes-alienating and often groovy power-pop god is back, in full form.

Ever since his last full-length was released in 2009, we’ll admit that we sort of let Gentleman Reg fall by the wayside. But it’s obvious he’s been working hard at perfecting his outlandish ramshackle rock: his side project, the electro-pop band Light Fires, toured with Hidden Cameras, and he’s worked with Canadian indie rock gold, collaborating with the likes of Owen Pallett, Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene and Ohbijou (whose drummer, James Bunton, also backs Gentleman Reg).

When compared to the last rock-infused record, Jet Black (no doubt an ironic title, given his distinct look), the fifth long-play is lighter and airier; at times, it’s even heavenly. Instantly it’s evident that the spotlight is on his backing band (it’s the first time he’s played consistently with the same crew for an entire studio album). Leisure Life takes their sonic exploration and experimentation to a new level — one that is simultaneously ostentatious and unpretentious.

There are still elements of that familiar funky electro going on, laced with Gentleman Reg’s idiosyncratic vocals. His hauntingly spectral and hollow voice could get lost inside the embellished orchestration; instead, his pale whisper-singing dominates each track, clinging to the fibres of your eardrums, and what’s more — he makes it seem effortless.

The first track of EP part one, “Waiting Around For Gold,” sets the tone for the rest of the album: buoyant and sanguine, keeping its edge through dark riffs and veined basslines that are heard in “Too Drunk” and “I Could Be What You Wanted.”

Though the elaborate instrumentation, catchy hooks and upbeat vocals can make it sound rather commercial at times, Leisure Life could serve well as a testament to the notion that perhaps all hope is not lost for mainstream music. Reg has triumphantly reinvented himself yet again, effectively blurring the lines between prosaic dance party tunes and heavenly imaginative pop.

Gentleman Reg plays at Gladstone Hotel on Dec. 2

The Rogue Fashion Week Diaries: Laura Siegel, Chloé Comme Parris, Label, Tanya Taylor, Jean-Pierre Braganza

By

-

1:00 pm

0

Although Toronto Fashion Week officially rears its head next week, the so-called Rogue Fashion Week is now upon us. This time around, powerhouse IMG has purchased the rights to our official Week. A number of young designers involved with The Fashion Collective have decamped, choosing to put on their own series of shows — dubbed The Collections — at the Burroughes Building. Laura Siegel kicked off the series of spring/summer 2013 collections.

Last season, Siegel wowed us with her darkly ethereal showing inspired by dreamscapes and India’s rugged beauty. This time around the designer opted to eschew a runway show, instead presenting her collection on a clutch of models who strode out and perched on individual wooden boxes. While we appreciate alternative methods of presentation, the experience tends to be marred by the scurry to take in the individual looks. Neck-craning aside, Siegel’s take on spring was impressive. Using various hand-dyeing, printing and embroidery techniques, the designer showcased looks in a medley of greens and sand tones, with hot pink serving as the accent colour. Favourite looks included a tonal green tie-dyed dress with a mid-thigh cutout and a tan jacket starring a wraparound fringe collar.

Next up was the hot-ticket event of the night: Chloé Comme Parris. Designer sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon have been wowing Toronto’s most stylish for a few seasons now and, having just shown in NYC, are slowly building their empire. With the show held in the runway space, this season saw the CCP girl shed her demons and move forward in a lighter, more feminine manner. Prints have always been a strength in their collections; for spring we saw intricate florals — as we’ve seen in the past — shown alongside larger ones, splayed across entire garments. A white silk shift featured a dreamy blown-up flower across its surface, while a pair of teeny shorts starred rows of delicate spring blooms. Meanwhile, a pale pink leather vest with grommet details and a silk back panel was perfect for the mellowed-out rocker chick. Jewellery had more of a laissez-faire attitude, with hourglass earrings meeting languid necklaces dotted with grassy green or washed-out yellow baubles. Overall, it was yet another hit showing for CCP.

Rounding out the eve was a presentation by Label. Also held in the larger runway space, designers Shawna Robinson and Natalie Sydoruk paraded out a series of basic sporty looks that were matched by bold necklaces from Cuchara. The strongest pieces featured a bold geometric print; others focused on simple details including side-ties and twists over the midriff. Elasticized, high-waisted shorts and baseball tees both fell flat. Although we greatly appreciate that the line is produced and hand-printed here in the city, the collection wasn’t quite the home run we were looking for — although it did serve as an excellent canvas for the jewellery.

Meanwhile, across town in a loft space, the first day of the shOws saw looks paraded out by Canuck ex-pats Tanya Taylor and Jean-Pierre Braganza, both of whom just showed in New York. Unfortunately due to scheduling mayhem and a yawning distance between the two locations, attending simultaneous presentations was all but impossible (though we do appreciate that things aren’t being stretched over a tiresome three-week period this season).

Highlights from Taylor’s spring collection include cheeky floral bustiers and full-skirted dresses with side cutouts. A jacked-up shade of orange and island shades of blue were fresh injections of colour, and were a perfect representation of the sunny holiday feel the designer was going for.

Meanwhile, the London-based Braganza continued to be influenced by geometry for spring. While some looks featured mirror images, others took an asymmetrical route, with skewered angles making up hemlines. Favourite pieces included a shirt-dress starring a vibrant red and blue graphic pattern, and dresses blocked with what looked like the remnants of a shattered mirror.

Tomorrow: Sid Neigum, Jeremy Laing and more

Rock Lobster Food Co. is coming to Ossington

By

-

12:34 pm

0

Grab your bibs and let’s roll. Lobster roll, that is. The Star is reporting that Toronto Underground Market favourite Rock Lobster Food Co. has secured a location for a new restaurant on the Ossington strip. Owner Matt Dean Pettit intends to bring a variety of crustacean creations to the ’hood (think lobster poutine, lobster cappuccino and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese).

The 75-seater will be appropriately decked out with the likes of a rusty anchor, authentic marine lights and wooden traps. Pettit wants to keep lobster fun, without the pretentiousness. He ancitipates a price range of around $8 to $14 for the grub.

Pettit — who tells us that he hasn’t announced the exact address of the restaurant yet — hopes he can start rollin’ out his goods to the public by Dec. 1.

[Toronto Star]

Dana Carvey gets ready to pump Toronto up at the Winter Garden Theatre tonight

By

-

11:55 am

0

For years, beloved comedian Dana Carvey was one of the most popular actors on Saturday Night Live with such characters as Garth and Church Lady. He stepped away from the limelight to be a part of raising his children, but now he’s back in the game. You can catch him live tonight at the Winter Garden Theatre as part of Humour Me: The CEO/Comedy Classic in support of youth at risk. We caught up with Carvey to find out what we can expect.

You were part of a huge period in SNL history — along with a local kid named Mike Myers. Who was your favourite character back then?
I guess if I had to pick one, I’d say Hans and Franz. I was really great friends with Kevin Nealon, and they just made us laugh on multiple levels. Like, you expected them to be lifting these really heavy weights, but they never lifted anything. They definitely had some schizophrenia and maybe some paranoia going on.

Do you get more calls during election season?
It’s a fun time you know for SNL, Jon Stewart and myself. There is supercharged political energy in the air. I’ve been working hard to find a hook on Obama [launches into Barack Obama impersonation]. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, Jill came tumbling after [dramatic pause]. But why doesn’t Jill have a crown? That’s the war on women right there.

There was a time when comedians were a bit standoffish with Obama. Has that changed?
I think he’s just so unique. There was a delicacy for obvious reasons during the first two years. Even a white guy like me doing an African American is kinda edgy. But it’s loosened up. A lot of pretty big people have told me if he’s re-elected they said they will go after him.

The Dana Carvey Show had a limited run. Was it just too edgy?
Ya, Comedy Central hadn’t really evolved, it might have worked on HBO — now they ask you to push more. The irony of it was that it was just abstract. There wasn’t a lot of potty or sexy humour, but after Bill Clinton breast-fed the country, it seemed ridiculous to be on the ABC lineup of cute sitcoms.

Some big names came out of that show though.
We were lucky enough to get Louis C.K. as a writer. Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert were still available…. Steve Carell I definitely championed, for sure. I actually ran into him a while back, and we were talking, and I was like, ‘I mean you’d have made it anyway.’ And he said, well, no, his wife — no. He was really, really down and out and not feeling good at all.

What can we expect at your show this month?
You’ll get my take on political impressions and the state of my universe. I talk now a lot about spirituality, health, the self-actualized movement, asking, ‘Are you living your best life?’ and what kind of destruction that can do to human psyche while Oprah has quietly put on 20 pounds…. I mean, if Oprah can’t do it, what hope do the rest of us have?

Humour Me: The CEO/Comedy Classic, The Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-314-2901. Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.

What I Wore: a pre-Fashion Week outfit with Ann Taylor, Tom Ford and Blackbird

By

-

11:38 am

0

Toronto’s Fashion Week starts on Monday, but with the amount of off-schedule shows and presentations taking place already, it’s safe to say that Fashion Week has extended itself into a full two weeks. That’s two weeks of extra-long days and fashion madness at its finest. But mainly, it’s two weeks full of wondering how to get dressed fabulously in the shortest amount of time possible.

Personally, I prefer to wear classic pieces that will be comfortable throughout the day, brought to life with some of the best accessories in my closet. Fashion Week is always a great time to show off designer pieces that otherwise don’t get out that often, but it can also be fun to surprise with an unexpected mix of brands.

The skirt and sweater in this outfit were both found at the recently opened Ann Taylor store at the Eaton Centre — the first Ann Taylor store in Canada, and the brand’s international debut. I love the challenge of shopping somewhere that wouldn’t normally be a go-to spot for me, because I believe it’s important to have an open mind about where you find your clothes. The classic shapes of the crew neck sweater and pencil skirt, updated in this season’s must-have colour, oxblood, make me feel like a modern day, dark-haired, Brigitte Bardot.

Then there’s the shimmering black and gold leopard print. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “When in doubt, go leopard.” It is, after all, considered to be as classic as black in the world of fashion, and it can always be relied upon to spice up any outfit.

Fashion Week is that time of year when my feet face the test of enduring true pain for hours on end. This is when the big guns from my shoe shelves come out to play. My newest editions are these incredible wonders by Tom Ford that feature sculptural pearl heels and black velvet wrap ties. Thankfully, I didn’t have to claim bankruptcy after purchasing them, because they were treasures found at Holt Renfrew Last Call on a recent fashion blogger shopping trip to Vaughan Mills.

Last but not least is the bag: the finishing touch to any outfit. This is what I like to call my “mystery purse” because it is a great, motorcycle-style black leather clutch that was found at The Salvation Army. It has no label or tags — not even a lining. It’s made from a beautiful leather, and I’m certain it must be a sample made by someone somewhere, but I guess I’ll never really know. To add a touch of flare — and good luck — I included an emerald green rabbit’s foot from the Drake General Store.

What I Wore: merino wool blend side zip sweater by Ann Taylor, animal jacquard pencil skirt by Ann Taylor, shoes by Tom Ford from Holt Renfrew Last Call, vintage purse, rabbit foot from the Drake General Store, earrings by Blackbird.

Gracie Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

Drink This: SPiN Toronto’s Bubbly Sue

By

-

10:17 am

0

Requiring a mosey down an alleyway to get in — complete with a sign that flips between “ping” and “pong” — SPiN Toronto feels like an illicit pleasure from the get-go. The subterranean social club spans two rooms, with picnic tables sharing space with ping-pong tables, while artwork from both New York-based and local graffiti artists dot the walls. Denizens include basement-dwelling ping-pong players in addition to others who are just there for kicks.

Our pick of the cocktail litter is the Bubbly Sue ($12.40). Matching cava with black raspberry Chambord liqueur, the drink is finished with blackberries and topped with an orange wedge.

After a vigorous bout of scrambling for vivid orange ping-pong balls, this is just the trick. And for those who need an extra boost, the kitchen is open until midnight daily.

SPiN Toronto, 461 King St. W., 416-599-7746

Morning Throwback: even in the ’40s, there were binders full of women walking the streets

By

-

9:58 am

0

These Toronto women have binder-potential written all over them.

Cineplex to Toronto: you’re about to go VIP, bro

By

-

4:19 pm

0

Moviegoing is about to get a whole lot swankier for those cinephiles who are old enough to attend R-rated movies solo: Cineplex Entertainment has just announced that Canada’s first-ever all-VIP standalone cinema will open at Shops at Don Mills in late 2014. So what does VIP mean exactly? Basically, booze, and no kids. Here’s our pros and cons about the elite movie palace.

Pros

No Kids
We don’t need BuzzFeed to tell us that kids are actually the worst. We already knew that from firsthand experience. Adios, kiddies!

Booze
With the new theatre serving up various alcoholic offerings (from beer to martinis), there’s no real reason for stay home and watch Netflix with a ~~glass~~ bottle of wine anymore, which is fine by us. We much prefer seeing Ryan Gosling's mug on the big screen anyway.

Fancy snacks and service
Apparently Cineplex has hired a corporate chef to extend its existing VIP appetizers, which already include calamari, deep fried pickles and mac ‘n’ cheese wedges. They had us at deep fried pickles, but we’d take anything over cholesterol-raging popcorn and day-old-looking wieners. Plus, the food will come to you. That’s right: the days of lining up at the concession stand and worrying that you’ll miss the previews are over, my friend, with the cinema’s in-seat service.

Plush seats
If the new VIP theatre will be anything like The Varsity, then we can expect cushiony seats and lots of leg room. They certainly beat those hard-as-rock, god-knows-what’s-been-spilled-on-them chairs that always seem too small. Additionally, each theatre will seat from 100 to 150 patrons instead of the standard 300 people, meaning there will be less fights over who gets to rest their elbow on the arm rest.

Valet parking
Your ride might not be pimp, but you’ll certainly feel like one when you roll up in your Corolla and throw your keys at the cinema’s parking valet like some kind of baller.

Cons

Price(?)
We really don’t think there is a con, but if we had to choose one (because we’re obviously going for impartiality here), we’d have to say the price. VIP movie tickets at The Varsity go for $19.99. That’s a little steep if you consider that drinks and snacks are extra, but for a whining-free, alcohol-tinged, comfortable movie experience, we’re apt to say that it’s well worth it.

[Toronto Star, National Post]

Theatre Review: Bloodless

By

-

12:18 pm

0

Last week I saw a new Canadian company, Theatre 20, using a Mirvish-owned theatre to present its first-born production, Bloodless. What could be more satisfying and exciting than discovering a promising new musical? The only disappointing thing to report: it closes Oct. 28, so you have only a few weeks to catch it.

Bloodless: the Trial of Burke and Hare — a very Stephen Sondheim-esque musical that is more musical than comic, but very funny nonetheless — is about two Irish serial killers in 19th century Scotland who make a good living by selling the bodies of their victims to anatomy schools.

What a joy to experience the birth of a new Toronto-based musical theatre company, one that is dedicated to “evocative Canadian-made and story-driven works.” And what a special treat to see that one of Theatre 20’s founders (and the director of Bloodless) is a warm acquaintance of mine, Adam Brazier, whom I first discovered onstage a decade ago in a semi-professional (and superb) production of the charming, classic American musical, Godspell. Throughout his extraordinarily successful career, he has performed in Sondheim’s brilliant musical, Into the Woods, on Broadway, and produced a superior production of Sondheim’s haunting, dark and insightful Assassins.

The playwright/composer of Bloodless is Winnipegger Joseph Aragon, who had a raved-about production of a much-shorter version of Bloodless at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where it won the “Best of Fest” award.

The music has witty and wise echoes of Sondheim throughout — but is highly original — and Mr. Aragon’s lyrics are astonishingly complex and accomplished. Lots of laughs throughout, even if they’re occasionally morbid.

Bloodless is hardly perfect, of course: it’s low-budget, and the sound and microphones were not always top-notch. But being able to land tickets for as cheap as $49 makes it worthwhile to see some of the finest performers in Canada of the past few years, including the grand Evan Buliung, a founding artist of Theatre 20 along with Brazier, and other greats whom I have seen and admired in shows at Stratford and Shaw for years. Brilliant singers, too. Well, this is a real treat.

I am so glad to have experienced the very beginnings of this potentially game-changing new company. Bravo to all involved in this very satisfying — even thrilling — new company and show.

Bloodless, Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge St., 416-872-1212. Now – Oct. 28.